Brilliant grad is left in limbo

In 1863, the writer Edward Everett Hale introduced us to "The Man Without a Country." Now meet Eugene Bah, the man without a state.

A brilliant young immigrant, Eugene lives in Worcester with his mother, a nurse who emigrated from Cameroon a decade ago. Eugene is registered to vote here and graduated last year from Worcester State University, where he compiled a 3.98 grade-point average.

"Eugene is one of the most remarkable students I've had in my almost 40 years of teaching," said Marjorie Clay, clinical ethicist at UMass Memorial Medical Center and a teacher at Worcester State. "He's an extraordinary young man. I say this in all sincerity: It was an honor to have him in my class."

As a child raised in a remote village, Eugene would gather herbs in the woods to treat his grandmother's whooping cough. He's wanted to be a doctor for as long as he can remember, and his dream is to attend medical school, specifically, UMass Medical School. In his application, he explained why he has a better appreciation of modern medicine than many of his peers:

"As a child, I was drenched in poverty and never had easy access to quality medical services," he wrote. "It was routine practice to trek for about 30 miles to the nearest clinic in Jakiri in order to get any medical care. Even at this clinic, there were no medical doctors, only a visiting nurse from the district hospital."

But Eugene's dream is on hold. Only state residents can attend the local medical school, and residency is routinely determined by graduation from a Massachusetts high school. In Eugene's case, he completed high school in Cameroon and enrolled at Worcester State when he came to Massachusetts in January 2010.

Now, he works at the medical school as a research assistant. Before that, he volunteered in a UMass program that enrolled patients in clinical studies. He's made lots of friends, and even joined a couple of student organizations. Only Rudy Ruettiger's storied love for Notre Dame surpasses Eugene's devotion to UMass and desire to matriculate there.

"I have a passion," Eugene, 20, told me yesterday, in the lobby of the school's Sherman Center. "To go to UMass and become a doctor is the one thing I would want heaven to break loose for. I love this campus. I feel like I live and breathe UMass. The only place I have ever lived in America is Massachusetts. But the school says I am not a resident, that I am stateless."

Mark Shelton, spokesman for the medical school, explained that the residency requirement was established by the state Legislature because the state subsidizes student tuition. In lieu of not graduating from a state high school, applicants must submit five years of uninterrupted federal and state tax returns. Eugene has filed returns for three years, so he would have to wait two more years to apply to UMass.

"It's specific and concrete," Shelton said.

Clay noted that many students attend college out of state and return to attend UMass. Just because Eugene didn't graduate from high school here shouldn't be an impediment, she argued, especially since he graduated from a local college.

Eugene, for his part, noted that his mother has paid state and federal income taxes for 10 years. They originally lived in Leominster, but she recently bought a home off Grafton Street so he could be closer to UMass.

He understands that rules are rules. But it's hard for a young man to postpone his dream when he's traveled so far to make it come true.

"People here can start from nothing and become something," he said. "I found a home here. It is just a shame that I am stateless. But I will make it happen somehow."